What is the difference between provider types?

Misophonia Treatment is an important subject. Since sufferers are wrought with a life-altering condition the first question most ask is, “What is the Treatment for Misophonia?”. Unfortunately, we do not have an approved therapy or medication for misophoniayet. There is no official misophonia treatment. There are only a small number of studies, and none of them include follow up. The IMRN is focused on research, but in the meantime you may find support with the following professionals.

There are different kinds of therapists who can offer support, and teach you physiologically based and mental strategies to help you cope with misophonia. You can lead a productive life while we gain ground with research. However, you should be wary of anyone who claims they have “the cure” or who promises high success rates for misophonia treatment, until more research is done and we have more evidence.

Please be wary of false cures, and further-more, if a person is recommending drugs please note that there is no medical basis for this. You may talk to your doctor about medications but do not take unsolicited medical advice on medication via the internet. This is extremely dangerous and your health hangs in the balance.

There is no evidence-based behavioral or device-based treatment for Misophonia

There are no single specific behavioral or device-based treatments that have been rigorously tested scientifically and shown to efficaciously treat Misophonia. At this point, there only are early small scale uncontrolled and pilot studies that have not yielded definitive results. Accordingly, patients seeking services for Misophonia are encouraged to ask treatment providers to disclose (a) which interventions will be used to help treat Misophonia, (b) the rationale for such approaches in light of available scientific evidence, and (c) any potential risks a particular treatment may pose.

There is no FDA approved medication for Misophonia

There is no scientific evidence that any specific medication treats Misophonia. However, doctors are able to prescribe medications “off label,” which means that they can suggest you try medications developed for other problems that they believe may help reduce difficulties related to Misophonia. If a doctor prescribes medications for Misophonia, we believe it is appropriate that patients be aware that such medications are experimental. In such circumstances, we suggest patients ask their doctor to disclose (a) the clear rationale for the use of such medications and (b) any possible side effects and risks.
The following professionals may be able to help you:

Audiologists: Traditionally, Audiologists have been allowed to practice with a Master’s degree. However, students entering Audiology programs in the near future will obtain doctoral degrees. An Audiologist with proper training may help by evaluating if you have Misophonia, although there is no approved “test” for Misophonia yet and it is not in any diagnostic manual. Audiologists may provide you with personally-fitted earplugs that may or may not generate non-offending noise to mask the noises that bother you.

Counselors or Psychologists: Most Counselors have Masters degrees, but some have doctoral degrees. Most Psychologists have a doctorate, as it is required in order to use the term “psychologist”. Some cognitive psychologists feel that Misophonia should be classified under Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders (previously termed “OCD” in the DSM-IV-TR) in the DSM-5. While there may be neurological and behavioral overlaps, there is no compelling evidence that this overlap exists, or that OCD treatment will help patients.

Psychiatrists: Psychiatrists can prescribe medication to treat symptoms and conditions that may accompany the condition (such as anxiety, insomnia, feelings of rage/fear/depression, etc.). However, there are no medications that have been tested or considered for the disorder.

Neurologists: A neurologist is an Medical Doctor (MD) who specializes in disorders that affect the brain, the spine, and the nerves, such as Epilepsy, migraine, Alzheimer’s and Tourette’s (as some examples). Neurologists and psychiatrists may sometimes overlap, as they can both treat psychiatric conditions. However, neurologists treat a broader range of disorders. Anyone who has sudden onset of any changes in mood or sensory perception, should see a neurologist to rule out other disorders. People often confuse neurologists with neuroscientists. Neurologists are MDs; they went through medical school. Neuroscientists are also doctors, but they are Ph.D.s, not Medical Doctors. Neuroscientists study the brain.